The Prime Minister was given the chance to quit in a few weeks rather than being abruptly cast out by a vote called by the powerful 1922 Committee in an attempt by the former Foreign Secretary’s enemies to quash Mr Johnson’s rise to power, according to a source. An un-named MP said Mr Johnson, a hardline Brexiteer, would likely push for a no deal Brexit at this stage rather than take place in the European elections next month. But a no deal Brexit may trigger a general election, the source continued, which may threaten Brexit itself. One 1922 Committee member told The Sun: “Getting rid of Theresa before Brexit is done means getting Boris, Boris would mean no deal, and no deal would mean a general election.
“And that would be the end of Brexit altogether”.
Mr Johnson’s supporters and Brexiteers, however, believe the committee simply “bottled it”, as one senior pro-Brexit MP said after the vote.
The 1922 Committee gathered yesterday to decide whether to change or not the rule stating the leader can be challenged only every 12 months.
Eurosceptics wanted to modify the internal rule and allow a new vote every six months, but they were defeated by nine votes to seven, according to sources within the backbencher committee.
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But MPs agreed to ask Mrs May to set out a timetable for her departure.
Mrs May won a confidence vote in December by 200 to 117, which means under current rules she can’t be challenged again until the end of 2019.
But the chair of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, said last night it would be “a surprising response” if the Prime Minister suggested she might stay on for so many months.
The backbenchers’ decision came just hours before Mrs May was officially named the least popular Conservative Cabinet minister and MP to date in a poll published today by ConservativeHome.
Her net satisfaction rating plummeted to an already low -51.2 recorded in March to a shocking -73.5 this month – hitting rock bottom.
Alongside the Prime Minister in the list of least favourites there are Transport Secretary Chris Grayling with -71.1, Chancellor Phillip Hammond with -57, Northern Ireland secretary Karen Bradley with -51.8 and Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis with -46.3.
On the other end of the list, there are Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the three most liked ministers in the Cabinet, who achieved respectively 40.6, 38 and 37.7.
The poll, carried out by ConservativeHome on April 18 of 1,119 party members, also shows the Cabinet’s net approval rating was -1.2.
According to ConservativeHome chief Paul Goodman, Mr Johnson gained traction in his leadership bid when he resigned in protest with Mrs May’s soft Brexit.
He said: “Boris’ resignation catapulted him to the front of the queue as the main Conservative opponent of Theresa May’s EU policy.
“And the worse she does, the more he thrives.
“The postponement of Brexit, the talks with Jeremy Corbyn, the return of Nigel Farage, the looming European elections, the sense of drift and paralysis…all these have bumped him up to his highest total since last August.”
